Juvenile yellow crowned night herons are difficult to tell apart from juvenile black crowned night herons. I know these are yellow crowned night herons because we have so many adults on the dock and have never seen a black crowned night heron on the dock.

I volunteer with our local avian clinic for shorebirds and raptors and have rescued numerous juvenile night herons at a rookery in downtown Charleston.

They are so difficult to tell apart! Here’s a couple things to look for: 1) black beak on ycnh, yellowish beak on bcnh. 2) Bcnh have stouter beaks 3) ycnh are more slender (think ballet) than the bulkier bcnh (think linebacker) 4) The spots on the ycnh are smaller and more delicate. Bcnh have larger spots.